Belgian Waffles with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

We bought a waffle maker! Best $20 we ever spent... although we are trying to ignore that this purchase may make has already made us fatter! The next variation we hope to try is fried chicken and waffles... ha!

I have so far experimented with 2 recipes, and liked this one the best. They were fluffy yet crisp. My favorite toppings are strawberries and whipped cream, so I sliced strawberries and whipped up some cream for the toppings. I also sprinkled sugar on top :)

I may try this recipe again with 1/2 butter and 1/2 vegetable oil. I think with some added butter flavor, they would be even more delicious!

Ingredients

3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. buttermilk (or regular milk if you don't have buttermilk on hand)
1/4 c. milk
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg, separated into yolk and white
1 1/2 t. sugar
3/4 t. vanilla

Instructions.

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in buttermilk, milk, oil, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whip egg white and sugar in a separate bowl. Fold into batter mixture. Pour onto waffle iron. With our waffle iron, 1/3 c. batter is needed for each square waffle and the waffles are ready after 5 minutes in the waffle iron.

BALT sandwiches

Simplest recipe there is! Bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato stacked between two pieces of bread! A little mayo on the inside and butter on the outside, grilled to perfection. So simple and so delicious!

Goat Cheese Salad

Our favorite meal in Alsace this summer included a goat cheese salad. I was so happy to be able to recreate it at home, and it certainly was delicious. We ate it alongside TJ's Alsatian tart... yum!

This recipe makes 2 salads.

INGREDIENTS

• • 1 demi-baguette
  • 1 5 oz. log of goat cheese
  • 2 tomatoes, sliced
  • 1/2 c. corn
  • 1/4 c. diced pancetta, browned
  • 1 persian cucumber, sliced
  • mixed greens
  • salad dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Slice baguette into 6 1/2 inch slices. Toast the slices.
  2. Slice goat cheese into 6 1/2 inch slices. Place each slice on top of a slice of baguette. Toast again.
  3. Toss together mixed greens, corn, sliced cucumber, and salad dressing. Distribute evenly onto two plates.
  4. Place tomato slices on top of the greens. Top with the browned diced pancetta.
  5. Place toasted goat cheese bread slices on top of the salad. Serve.

Easy Fudge

This is one of the easiest desserts I have ever made. And it's delicious. I opened a can of sweetened condensed milk to make a Vietnamese coffee recipe, and I had no idea what to do with the rest. Considering the nutrition facts, I wanted to just throw it away, but I figured as long as I didn't use the WHOLE can, it would be okay to eat it. So, I used part of it in this fudge and it was delicious!

The pecans and white chocolate chips are optional and could be replaced by other items you may want to eat in your fudge. If I had marshmallows, I would have added them to make a rocky road fudge, but I didn't have any.

Note: This recipe makes one very small batch of fudge. If you want to make a lot for gifts or for a large party, double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients

4 to 5 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 t. vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. white chocolate chips.

Instructions

1. Over low heat, melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in a pinch of salt. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts, white chocolate chips, and vanilla.

2. Spread into parchment-lined small loaf pan (mine is probably 2"x4" or something similar). Chill 2 hours or until firm. Slice, eat, and enjoy!